Investigating concrete deterioration due to calcium oxychloride formation

Abstract

Calcium oxychloride is a serious deterioration mechanism affecting concrete pavements. In order to mitigate calcium oxychloride deterioration in concrete, fly ash is used as partial cement replacement in conjunction with entrained air. Concrete specimens were stored in a 30% calcium chloride solution at 5 °C for 202 days. Following storage, specimens were evaluated through compressive and flexural strength loss along with mass change, length change, and chloride penetration. Results indicate that a partial cement replacement with 15% fly ash mitigates deterioration in concrete specimens when tested for flexural strength loss; however, 30% or more fly ash is needed for similar mitigation based on compressive strength. Further, results indicate that specimens cast with 5% entrained air outperform those without air entrainment. Class C fly ash generally mitigated strength loss to a greater extent than Class F fly ash.